MegaFon has signed a cooperation agreement with Rostelecom to jointly develop 5G networks.
As part of the cooperation, MegaFon and Rostelecom will develop optimal scenarios for rolling out 5G networks based on international experience and subject to the specifics of the Russian mobile communications market. The companies may also set up a joint venture that would act as a single infrastructure operator for construction of 5G networks in Russia. This will allow them to reduce the cost of deploying the next generation standard.
MegaFon and Rostelecom plan to set up a working group that will propose options for rolling out 5G networks in the 3.4 – 3.6 GHz and 26 GHz frequency bands. This will include giving consideration to the government program on the Digital Economy of the Russian Federation. Special attention will be paid to identifying and freeing up available space in the spectrum for 5G networks.
“In the current market conditions, the most logical and cost efficient option for deployment of the new standard is cooperation between several players. We are already working together successfully with Rostelecom as part of the working group on Information Infrastructure under the government program for Digital Economy and we see huge potential for further cooperation. I am confident that, through joint efforts, 5G can become the foundation for technological development in a number of sectors of the digital economy,” said MegaFon CEO Sergey Soldatenkov.
“For our company, one of the main aspects of the Digital Economy program is building the infrastructure that is needed for it to be created and function. Clearly 5G will become one of the technologies that forms the foundation for the digital economy,” commented Rostelecom President Mikhail Oseevskiy. “We believe that the creation of a fully-fledged 5G mobile network in Russia will require market players to join efforts. Our partnership with MegaFon is designed to demonstrate the success of such an approach to rolling out 5G networks.”
